Perfect Escape

I really liked Jennifer Brown's first novel, "The Hate List", but this one isn't as good. "Perfect Escape" is her 3rd book, and is alright but has far less story-telling than "Hate List." There just is not enough content for 352 pages. I feel that she should have added more adventures and characters to fill it out more. There is not enough story here, so its a bit repetitive and borders on boring. The first half of the book was enjoyable but it felt like she ran out of ideas. It has a good premise; a girl in high school cheats in math class, gets caught and takes off in her car with her obsessive compulsive brother. They run away. On a more positive note, I can say that the book is a sensitve look at the problems of teens stuck in a situation where they feel pressured to be perfect, forced to be far too adult-like in behaviour. Perfect Escape is a realistic and touching portrayal of a difficult family dynamic; the girl, Kendra, realizes how tough it is to be a supportive parent. She starts to understand her mom and dad, and becomes closer to her brother despite his problems, and in fact she ends up being a better sister.